A Guide to Common Acronyms and Slang for Influencers and digital content creators. 

The Meaning and Usage of @ 

What does the @ sign mean on TikTok?

If you have ever used TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media platform, you have probably seen the @ symbol or the “at sign.”

The @ symbol on Tiktok is a common way to tag other users in videos. When you use the @ symbol and write a user’s account name next to it, the user will be automatically tagged in the video. 

This will also create a blue hyperlink, and allow anyone to click on the username and view the account. This can be seen below.

The @ symbol can also be used without directly tagging another account. Sometimes people might use this to let others know what account they are talking about without wanting to tag the user. If you don’t want to tag the user but want to let others know who the account is, leave a space between the @ symbol and the username. 

What Does @ Mean On TikTok? 

What Does the @ Symbol Look Like on Social Media?

Besides just tagging another account, you will also see the @ symbol when you are looking directly at a profile or a social media handle. 

Below is an example of what the @ looks like on Twitter. 

And how the @ symbol looks like on TikTok

The Origin of the @ Symbol 

Although nobody knows the exact history of the @ symbol, it has been around in many different cultures and is a large part of nearly every social media platform, including websites and email addresses.  Some theories of the history of the symbol could be Latin for “toward” or French for “at.” There is no single English word for the symbol, but it is often pronounced like “at.”

The official definition of the @ symbol is an accounting term, meaning “at a rate of.” 

When computer science began evolving in the 1970s, Ray Tomlinson, a computer scientist, began using the @ symbol to connect online programmers together. Thus, the modern-day usage of the @ symbol was born. 

The term has clearly taken on a whole different meaning with the rise of social media and it is now more commonly known on social media.

Back in the early days of blogging, the @ was used to denote a reply to another user, or to alert an account. 

In 2023, you will most commonly see Gen-Z and millennials understanding the @ symbol, however, anyone with an email address or an Internet connection will have seen the symbol before. 

How to Use the @ Symbol for TikTok

Using the @ symbol should be fairly straightforward. To tag an account, use the symbol and type out the account you want to tag immediately following the symbol. 

You could tag an account on a post you want the user to see, or tag a user directly when you are creating the video. This will ensure they are tagged in the post and the video will appear in their notifications. 

The Importance of Using the @ Symbol 

It’s important to figure out how to correctly use the @ symbol on TikTok. When you tag other creators and users in your content, you will be able to expand your audience and allow for more people to see what you are creating.

It will also create more engagement for you.

A common way to get other your audience engagement up is by asking your followers to tag their friends and followers in the comments. You can do this by asking questions that require you to tag people in the comments.

For example, you could say, “Tag 3 friends who you think might like this product” or “Who do you always send TikToks to? Tag them below.” 

Below is an example of a creator using this technique to get more engagement, as well as a sample from the comment section.

You may also see people using terms and phrases such as “Your first @” or “Tag your first @.” 

Your first @ is whatever account pops up first when you hit the share button. This is oftentimes either the last person you tagged or messaged, or perhaps the person you talk to the most. Below is an example of a creator using this phrase.

You can experiment with a lot of different ways to raise your engagement and encourage your followers to tag using the @ symbol and using the @ symbol to tag creators yourself. 

What other slang terms and Internet lingo do you want to learn? Let us know down below.